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2/5/14

ways to find balance

Let me just start out by saying honestly, I am probably one of the least qualified people to offer any sort of advice on finding balance in life. I can stand on my foot-- ha-- but that's about as balanced as I feel like my life gets.

But, I am trying. I really am attempting to create a balance of work and life. I think through my struggles with it, I am learning a lot about what works for me.

And I know I'm not the only one who struggles to keep all the plates spinning, while still having sort of healthy level of relaxation, hard work, exercise, etc, etc. We stay busy. We pride on ourselves on being busy-- and I'm saying this about me, more than anything. I admit that I can revel in the fact that I can be really unbalanced. That shouldn't be something to be proud of.

So I'm working on it. Really. And here are a few things that I'm trying.

1. Learning that saying 'yes' now could mean 'no' later.

Turns out you can't do it all-- even the fun things. So saying "yes" to happy hour with dear friends, may mean that I have to turn down dinner later on. Or, committing to a business partnership with one company may mean that I should turn down a partnership with another. Sometimes I'll regret the no or the yes, but if it means that my life is a little more balanced, it is worth it.

2. Breaks are necessary.

I talked about this last week, but sometimes you have to step away for a little bit. I don't know what you might need to step away from, but if you can manage it for even a half hour, it needs to happen so you can return refreshed.

3. You need people to say hard things.

For me, this is my husband. He will tell me when I'm taking on too much-- when I'm creating for myself a world that is limited by my work and my own expectations. You need people in your life who are going to tell you when it's time to work harder, and when it's time to let go. Find these people and hold onto them and make them be brutally honest with you.

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